Cooking appliance

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides a cooking appliance including a cooking chamber, at least one heating unit disposed within the cooking chamber, and multiple racks holding members to position racks at a desired height within the cooking chamber. The cooking appliance further includes a fan assembly movably coupled to a rear wall of the cooking chamber, and a driving unit coupled to the fan assembly to move the fan assembly vertically along the rear wall of the cooking chamber.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates, in general, to a cooking appliance and, more specifically relates, to a cooking appliance that cooks food using a blowing fan.

BACKGROUND

Generally, a conventional convection-type cooking apparatus, such as an oven, includes a heater energized to emit heat, a cavity in which food is cooked by heat emitted from the heater, a blowing fan mounted in the cavity to circulate air within the cavity by convection, inlet holes defined in a cabinet to suction the air from surrounding, outlet holes defined in the cabinet to discharge the air circulated by the rotation of the blowing fan, and multiple trays mounted in the cavity to allow food to be placed thereon.

Current day ovens employ a stationary fan to forcibly circulate the heated air within the cavity of the oven. During such forced circulation of the air, the food is in continuous contact with high-temperature air, where heat is transmitted to the food and, therefore, the food is cooked. However, due to stationary position of the fan, flow path of the heated air may be restricted and, hence, achieving a uniform temperature at all portions of the cavity may take more time. As such, regions of non-uniform air distribution and hence uneven temperature distribution, may be formed within the cavity and may affect cooking of the food. Additionally, the trays within the cavity may obstruct the fixed flow path of the heated air, thereby affecting cooking duration. Thus, ovens with a stationary fan require longer time to achieve a desired cavity center temperature.

Attempts to achieve uniform temperature distribution within the cavity includes providing two stationary fans mounted to a rear wall of the cavity, where each fan is provided to forcibly circulate the heated air within the cavity. However, positioning heating elements in ovens with such a dual fan configuration adds complexity to oven construction and increases associated costs. Korean Patent Publication 101516363 discloses a cooking apparatus implementing a movable heater within the oven cavity. The movable heater is coupled to a heater drive unit to aid movement along a vertical axis of the oven cavity. However, movement of the movable heater is restricted to a distance defined between a food rack in the cavity and a floor surface of the cavity. Thus, the cooking apparatus of this reference may not achieve uniform temperature distribution within the cavity.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a cooking appliance, such as an oven, which achieves uniform temperature distribution within a cooking chamber thereof. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the cooking appliance includes at least one heating unit disposed within the cooking chamber, and a plurality of rack holding members configured to position a rack at a desired height within the cooking chamber. The cooking appliance also includes a fan assembly movably coupled to a rear wall of the cooking chamber and a driving unit coupled to the fan assembly. The driving unit moves the fan assembly vertically along the rear wall of the cooking chamber.

In an embodiment, the driving unit includes one of a rack and pinion arrangement or a linear actuator. In an embodiment, the cooking appliance further includes a control unit to receive an input associated with selection of cooking mode of the cooking appliance and control the driving unit so as to adjust a position of the fan assembly along the rear wall of the cooking chamber based on the selection of cooking mode.

The present disclosure provides a flexible fan assembly for the oven, where the fan assembly is moved along a vertical axis of the oven, to blow heated air continuously forcibly into the cooking chamber to uniformly distribute the heated air and therefore achieve uniform distribution of temperature within the cooking chamber. As such, food placed inside the cooking chamber may be cooked in shorter time period as compared to conventional ovens. In addition, a preheat time may also be reduced with such moving fan assembly, which is otherwise high in the conventional ovens.

These and other aspects and feature of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific non-limiting embodiments of the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure (including alternatives and/or variations thereof) may be obtained with reference to the detailed description of the embodiments along with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is an exemplary schematic view of an oven, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is an exemplary schematic view of the oven implementing a divider plate, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a driving unit of the oven, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 is a driving unit of the oven, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, corresponding, or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or corresponding parts. Moreover, references to various elements described herein, are made collectively or individually when there may be more than one element of the same type. However, such references are merely exemplary in nature. It may be noted that any reference to elements in the singular may also be construed to relate to the plural and vice-versa without limiting the scope of the disclosure to the exact number or type of such elements unless set forth explicitly in the appended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1A, an exemplary schematic view of an oven 100 is illustrated. The oven 100 includes a cooking chamber 102 and one or more heating units 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the oven 100 includes a fan assembly 106 movably coupled to a rear wall 108 of the oven 100. As used herein, the term “fan assembly” may include a fan, a fan housing, a rotary shaft extending from the fan, and other components disposed within a hub of the fan. The oven 100 herein is embodied as a freestanding domestic oven. It is contemplated that the aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in built-in ovens and professional ovens as well. In some embodiments, a circular heating element may be disposed around the blades of the fan to together constitute “the fan assembly 106”. The rear wall 108 defines a slit 110 through which the fan assembly 106 is operably coupled to a driving unit (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 ). As used herein, the term “operably coupled” refers to actuation and movement control of the fan assembly 106 by the driving unit. The oven 100 includes multiple rack holding members 112 extending from inner surfaces of opposite walls 114, 116 and configured to receive rack(s) (not shown) thereon. As such, the rack(s) may be positioned at desired height within the cooking chamber 102 along a vertical axis “V” of the oven 100.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the fan assembly 106 is movably coupled to the rear wall 108. For example, the fan assembly 106 is moved linearly along a length of the slit 110. In an embodiment, the fan assembly 106 is actuated to an ON condition and moved continuously along the length of the slit 110 to aid uniform distribution of the heated air within the cooking chamber 102, thereby achieving uniform temperature distribution within the cooking chamber 102 and uniform cooking of food item disposed in the cooking chamber 102.

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary schematic view of the oven 100 implementing a divider plate 118 that divides the cooking chamber 102 into a first cavity 120 and a second cavity 122. Cooking parameters, for example temperature, may be individually set in each of the first cavity 120 and the second cavity 122. In such arrangement, a first heating unit 104-1 heats the air in the first cavity 120 and a second heating unit 104-2 heats the air in the second cavity 122 to cook the food disposed in respective cavities. Based on a cooking mode, such as full cooking, bake cook, or broil cook, set by a user, actuation, and movement of the fan assembly 106 is controlled accordingly.

For example, selection of the full cooking mode may cause the fan assembly 106 to be moved along the vertical axis “V” continuously until an end of the full cooking mode. Similarly, selection of the bake cook, or the broil cook, may cause the fan assembly 106 to be moved to corresponding cavity, such as the first cavity 120 or the second cavity 122, where the food is placed. It will be appreciated that each of the bake cook mode and the broil cook mode will be designated to one cavity and accordingly the fan assembly 106 may be optimally positioned in the respective cavity to uniformly distribute the heated air therein. FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary instance where the fan assembly 106 is positioned in the second cavity 122 based on the cooking mode selected by the user. As such, combination of the divider plate 118 and the optimal positioning of the fan assembly 106 based on the cooking mode selection may achieve enhanced cooking of the food placed in the respective cavity. Additionally, since the cavity may be individually heated and the heated air may be distributed within the cavity, increased energy efficiency of the oven 100 may be achieved.

FIG. 2 illustrates a driving unit 200 implemented as a rack and pinion arrangement, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The driving unit 200 includes a guide 202 extending along the vertical axis “V” of the oven 100 and attached to a rear surface 204 of the rear wall 108. A convection fan motor 206, on one side, is movably coupled to the guide 202 via multiple fixtures and rigidly coupled, on opposite side, to a rack 208. A motor shaft (not shown) of the fan assembly 106 is operably coupled to the convection fan motor 206. As used herein, the term “operably coupled” refers to an ability of couplings connecting the rotary shaft of the fan assembly 106 with a shaft of the convection fan motor 206 to transfer rotational torque from the convection fan motor 206 to the fan assembly 106. As such, the fan assembly 106 is actuated by the convection fan motor 206, where an electrical input to the convection fan motor 206 causes rotation of blades of the fan assembly 106 disposed within the cooking chamber 102. To this end, it would be understood from FIG. 2 that the rotary shaft of the fan assembly 106 passes through the slit 110 to couple with the convection fan motor 206.

A pinion 210 is meshed with the rack 208 and rotatably coupled with a pinion motor 212. In some embodiments, the pinion motor 212 may be embodied as, but is not limited to, a stepper motor or a servo motor. Further, the pinion motor 212 is fixed to a motor housing 214 that includes a first arm 216 and a second arm 218 extending therefrom towards the rear wall 108 of the oven 100. Preferably, the first arm 216 and the second arm 218 are rigidly fixed to the rear wall 108 of the oven 100, thereby securing the motor housing 214 in a stationary condition. As such, the pinion 210 rotates at a same location and causes movement of the rack 208 along the vertical axis “V” of the oven 100. Since the convection fan motor 206 is fixed to the rack 208, movement of the rack 208 causes movement of the convection fan motor 206 outside the cooking chamber 102 and hence movement of the fan assembly 106 within the cooking chamber 102. In some embodiments, the driving unit 200 may be concealed with a panel to prevent settlement of dust particles on components thereof and to enhance aesthetic appearance of the oven 100.

The oven 100 further includes a control unit 220. In some embodiments, the control unit 220 may be implemented as a processor, such as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities the processor may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory thereof. Various functions of the processor may be provided using dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by the processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors. Moreover, explicit use of the term “processor” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, but not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware known to a person skilled in the art may also be included.

In an embodiment, the control unit 220 is configured to receive an input associated with selection of cooking mode of the oven 100. For example, the control unit 220 is communicably coupled to a user interface (not shown) of the oven 100 to receive the input. In some embodiments, the control unit 220 may be remotely coupled to a user personal device, such as a smartphone, to receive inputs from the user via a wireless network. Further, the control unit 220 is configured to (a) actuate the fan assembly 106 and (b) control the driving unit 200 so as to adjust a position of the fan assembly 106 along the rear wall 108 of the oven 100 based on the selection of cooking mode. Preferably, the control unit 220 is electrically coupled to the pinion motor 212 to adjust a position of the fan assembly 106.

In operation, based on the cooking mode selected by the user, and based on the cavity of the cooking chamber 102 designated for cooking, the control unit 220 is configured to supply a corresponding electrical input to the pinion motor 212 to cause rotation of the pinion 210, thereby linearly moving the rack 208 by a corresponding distance. As a result, the fan assembly 106 may be optimally positioned in the designated cavity. In a case where the cooking mode is set to full cooking, the control unit 220 may cause repeated clockwise rotation of the pinion 210 for a first predetermined duration followed by rotation in an anticlockwise direction for a second predetermined duration. Repeated cycles of the clockwise and anticlockwise rotation of the pinion 210 causes the rack 208 to linearly move along the vertical axis “V” in downward and upward directions, respectively, thereby resulting in continuous movement of the fan assembly 106 within the cooking chamber 102. As used herein, the terms “first predetermined duration” and “second predetermined duration” corresponds to an allowed traversing length of the convection fan motor 206 along the slit 110. In a case where the cooking mode is set to bake cook or broil cook, the control unit 220 may cause repeated cycles of clockwise and anticlockwise rotation of the pinion 210 for predefined durations, such that the fan assembly 106 is moved along the vertical axis “V” in downward and upward directions, respectively, within the cavity corresponding to the bake cook or broil cook. Therefore, in each of the full cooking mode, bake cooking mode, and broil cooking mode, the heated air may be circulated uniformly within the cooking chamber 102, resulting in enhanced cooking of the food placed within the cooking chamber 102.

FIG. 3 illustrates a driving unit 300 implemented as a linear actuator, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. More specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of a heat transfer assembly “H” of the oven 100. The driving unit 300 includes a first linear actuator 302, a second linear actuator 304, a first threaded nut 306 coupled to the first linear actuator 302, a second threaded nut 308 coupled to the second linear actuator 304, and a motor assembly 309 connected to the first threaded nut 306 and the second threaded nut 308. The first linear actuator 302 and the second linear actuator 304 may be fastened to an actuator casing 310. A rotary shaft (not shown) of the fan assembly 106 is directed through the slit 110 and coupled to the motor assembly 309. The actuator casing 310 may be fastened to the rear wall 108 to prevent settlement of dust on components of the driving unit 300, prevent heat loss through the slit 110, and reduce noise generated during operation of the driving unit 300.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 , the oven 100 includes a flow diverter 312 coupled to a fan housing (not particularly indicated) and configured to receive the fan assembly 106 therein. Further, a convective heating element 314 is disposed around fan blades to dissipate heat in a direction towards a center of the fan assembly 106. The oven 100 also includes a fan casing 316 defining a set of apertures 318 in a direction substantially parallel to the vertical axis “V” and a set of vents 322 on a side surface 324 thereof. The fan casing 316 may be coupled to a front portion of the rear wall 108 to conceal the fan assembly 106, the convective heating element 314, and the flow diverter 312. Furthermore, the fan housing is also coupled to the motor assembly 309. The control unit 220 is electrically coupled to each of the first linear actuator 302, the second linear actuator 304, and the motor assembly 309.

In operation, the control unit 220 is configured to receive the input associated with the selection of cooking mode of the oven 100 and control the driving unit 300 so as to adjust the position of the fan assembly 106 along the rear wall 108 of the oven 100 based on the selection of cooking mode. Specifically, based on the cooking mode selected by the user, and based on the cavity of the cooking chamber 102 designated for cooking, the control unit 200 is configured to supply a corresponding electrical input to each of the first linear actuator 302 and the second linear actuator 304, thereby causing rotation of respective screw rods. The first threaded nut 306 coupled to the screw rod of the first linear actuator 302 and the second threaded nut 308 coupled to the screw rod of the second linear actuator 304 thus traverses along respective screw rods, thereby causing movement of the motor assembly 309. As a result, the fan assembly 106, the convective heating element 314, and the flow diverter 312 moves along with the motor assembly 309. Based on changes to polarity of the electrical input supplied to the first linear actuator 302 and the second linear actuator 304, the motor assembly 309 may be linearly moved in the upward and the downward directions repeatedly and continuously. Additionally, based on the cooking mode selected, duration of supply of the electrical input to each of the first linear actuator 302 and the second linear actuator 304 may be regulated so as to optimally position the fan assembly 106 at the designated cavity in the cooking chamber 102. A first diverter arm 326 and a second diverter arm 328 of the flow diverter 312 diverters excess heated air through the set of vents 322, thereby preventing pre-mixing of heated air with the air present in the cooking chamber 102. Presence of the convective heating element 314 in this configuration of the oven 100 eliminates the need of the heating units 104 described with respect to FIG. 1A. Therefore, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , it will be understood that the driving unit 200, 300 is configured to adjust a position of the fan assembly 106 along the rear wall 108 of the cooking chamber 102 based on the cooking mode.

To this end, the present disclosure provides an improved cooking appliance, such as the oven 100, capable of achieving uniform distribution of heated air within the cooking chamber 102 and thereby eliminating presence of cold spots within the cooking chamber 102. Continuous movement of the fan assembly 106 within the cooking chamber 102 aids mixing of the heated air with non-heated air, thereby achieving desired cavity center temperature in short duration and uniformly distributing heated air within the cooking chamber 102. In cases where the divider plate 118 is used in the oven 100, the fan assembly 106 may be optimally positioned with respect to appropriate cavity containing the food. As such, only a portion of the cooking chamber 102 may be quickly heated instead of heating entire cooking chamber 102. Therefore, introduction of the divider plate 118 may reduce the preheat time and increase energy efficiency of the oven 100.

While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking appliance comprising: a cooking chamber; at least one heating unit disposed within the cooking chamber; a plurality of rack holding members configured to position racks at a desired height within the cooking chamber; a fan assembly movably coupled to a rear wall of the cooking chamber; and a driving unit coupled to the fan assembly and configured to move the fan assembly vertically along the rear wall of the cooking chamber.
 2. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the driving unit comprises one of a rack and pinion arrangement or a linear actuator.
 3. The cooking appliance of claim 1 further comprising a control unit configured to: receive an input associated with selection of cooking mode of the cooking appliance; and control the driving unit so as to adjust a position of the fan assembly along the rear wall of the cooking chamber based on the selection of cooking mode. 